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Application Recommendations: August 2010

This is the first of a new series I’ll be writing which aims to introduce apps to MyHTCDesire readers. The apps will vary including new apps, useful apps and other apps that I feel deserve a mention. If you do discover any apps that you want me to include in the next article just get in touch using the contact details on the right!

If you’re using ChromeToPhone or FoxToPhone you can click any of the QR Codes to send the link to your phone, which opens up in the Market.

1. Springpad

Springpad makes it easy to save notes, products and places you want to remember

Author: Spring Partners, Inc.Price: Free

My Review

Springpad let’s you keep track of pretty much everything! Whether it’s a movie you want to watch, a task you need to complete or even a shopping list, SpringPad manages everything with a great looking interface too. It keeps everything sync-ed with the springpad website, although you might want to make sure that any personal items are marked as private in the settings section of their website.

2. psx4droid (PSX Emulator)

psx4droid is the famous PSX emulator for Android 2.x devices! Fast and featured!

Author: ZodTTDPrice: $5.99

My Review

This emulator lets you play SonyPlaystation games on your Android phone. When I orignally tried it with Crash Bandicoot 3 it was very slow, but I’ve since upgraded to the latest version and changed the framerate to 30fps and it seems to run a lot better – though it can lag at times. If you find your favourite games aren’t working then you might want to get a refund for now, but keep track of this app as I can only see it getting better!

3. Kindle for Android

Kindle books on your phone including thousands of free books. No Kindle required

Author: Amazon MobilePrice: Free

My Review

This is an app that I couldn’t live without. I use it everyday during the commute to Manchester and it has a massive collection including most of my favourite books. I’ve not yet found the Riddle Master of Hed on it, but I hope it’s only a matter of time until it arrives. I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant to switch to ebooks instead of physical books, but after reading through the first two I’ve gotten used to it and not looked back. I could go on about the advantages of ebooks, but this review’s about the app so I’ll stop here.

*If you are a non-US customer, book availability may varyScreenshots (click to enlarge)Download

4. K-9 Mail

K-9 is the best email client for Android. It’s incredibly powerful and 100% free

Author: K-9 Dog WalkersPrice: Free

My Review

While the HTC Mail application is fantastic and I’m sure that a lot of people are happy with it, I needed an alternate mail so I could switch between custom ROMs (Sense-based and Sense-less) without the worry of having to setup all my mail accounts again (which there’s over 10 of). I can easily backup everything in K9 Mail and restore it in any ROM regardless of whether it has HTC Mail or not.
If you’re not happy with HTC Mail then this is definitely the next best thing.

5. StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon is a discovery engine that finds the best of the web, just for you

Author: StumbleUpon.Price: Free

My Review

If you’re ever looking for websites containing content you’re interested in, or if you’re just looking to browse the Internet aimlessly then StumbleUpon is for you. It presents you with recommended content based on your preferences, and it learns from your habits to make sure it’s only giving you relevant results.

Description:
StumbleUpon is a discovery engine that finds the best of the web, recommended just for you. Every time you click Stumble!, we’ll show you sites that have been selected based on your preferences and recommendations from millions of users who share your interests. So you see more of what you want and less of what you don’t.Screenshots (click to enlarge)Download

6. Tumblr

Tumblr for Android. The easiest way to blog.

Author: TumblrPrice: Free

My Review

If you’re on Tumblr then this app is perfect for you. I don’t use it myself (don’t have a Tumblr blog) but I’ve seen a friend using it to post up photos and videos taken with her phone to her blog. It has a really clean and simple interface and you can very easily create new posts for your blog.

7. Laputa Book Reader

If you’re looking for a free alternative to Kindle, then this is the closest thing. Although the catalog isn’t as big as Kindles, Laputa still has a huge collection of books where are all free to download. I actually started off with this before Kindle, and only switched after a few months when I’d read all the books I wanted to.

8. Searchify

Perform translation, calculation, unit conversion and more from the search box.

Author: Oliver LanPrice: Free

My Review

Though it’s not one I use on a daily basis, this app definitely has some novelty value. It uses voice input for you to tell it what you want to convert, then it quickly interpretates and converts your input into the relevant output, be that unit conversion, calculation or language translation.